Insofar as the uprooting of endives is concerned, it is essential that the endive, which must be re-planted, is not damaged whilst being uprooted and that all soil around it is removed as quickly as possible. Existing machines, which incorporate U-shaped plowshares with two vertical or slightly inclined parts joined to a frame, have the disadvantage of exerting a strong compression force on the soil during uprooting of the endive root. Because of this compression, the soil does not break down while the endive root is on the conveyor belt and the endives arrive at a trailer covered with soil which hardens and is difficult to remove. Moreover, the transfer of soil to the trailer means a loss of soil from the ground and also a useless overloading of the trailer. Furthermore, the endive roots are often damaged by the existing plowshares. A further problem, is that in certain instances plots of land are overcrowded with weeds which together with the soil compression by the plowshare make progress of the machine difficult.